Combination handle and lockactivating assembly



Jan. Il, 1966 J. J. FRUEH 3,228,069

COMBINATION HANDLE AND LOGK-ACTIVATING ASSEMBLY Filed Jan. 14, 1964 3ShGeS-Sheet 1 1N VENTOR.

J. J. FRUEH Jan. 1l, 1966 COMBINATION HANDLE AND LOCK-ACTIVATINGASSEMBLY 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Jan. 14, 1964 INVENTOR. :fo/1N J Pkv/5HJan. 11, 1966 J. J. FRUEH 3,228,069

COMBINATION HANDLE AND LoCK-AGTIVATING ASSEMBLY Filed Jan. 14, 1964 3Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR.

United States Patent O 3,228,069 COMBINATION HANDLE AND LOCK-ACTIVA'IING ASSEMBLY John I. Frueh, S06 W. 167th St., Gardena, Calif.Filed Ian. 14, 1964, Ser. No. 337,656 11 Claims. (Cl. Ztl-23) This is acontinuation-in-part of my application S.N. 239,154, tiled Nov. 21,1962, now Patent No. 3,157,908, patented November 24, 1964.

This invention relates to dooror lock-activating constructions andparticularly to such assemblies which activate an operating spindle(which spans or overlies the height or width of a door), which spindleis rotatable a quarter turn by means of a hand lever (transverselyprojecting from the spindle intermediate its ends) so as to dispose theopposite ends of the spindle in closed or open positions in relation tothe adjacent door frame. The outer ends of the turning spindle mayeither help to seat and unseat a door, or alternately may lock andunlock a seated door depending upon the type of door which carries thespindle.

Thus, by one construction, rotation of the spindle shifts anaperture-aligned, sliding door into and out of closure position; suchoperation is etected when the door is edgesuspended along its upper (andlower) margin for horizontal movement into and out of a vertical frameor aperture. Alternately, when the door is hinge-mounted, as along aside edge, the opposite edge may be provided with such a spindle havingengaging cams at each end thereot` for securing the closed door to theframe.

The invention also provides means for automatically rotating the spindlea quarter turn when the handle is released. For the sliding type door,this means that the door is thus automatically pushed open or retractedfrom its seated position in the doorway, to an outer position at whichit can roll along the track spacedly overlying the adjacent wall. Withrolling or sliding doors which move along an outhanging track, but seatin the doorway flush with the outer face of the adjacent wall, thiseliminates the possibility of jamming the door against the adjacent wallby trying to push it shut before it is entirely aligned with itsdoorway.

The present door and lock construction is particularly adapted forclosure of cargo carriers such as railway cars and highway trucks. Oneclass of such heavy-duty doors may be built with considerable thicknesscontaining insulating material and used on cold-storage vaults. Oneprominent feature of my construction makes it impossible to accidentallyconne a person inside such a chamber even when the seated door is lockedby an external padlock, such door being openable by a person from insidewithout disturbing the padlock and then being capable of being manuallyreturned to its locked condition simply by being pushed shut. Thisprovides an escape door for a refrigeration chamber.

Other objects and advantages will become apparent as the descriptionproceeds, having particular reference to the drawings which illustratepresently preferred embodiments of the invention wherein:

FIG. 1 is an elevational view of the operating assembly as seen from theouter face of a door, with the operating lever and retainer baralternately indicated also in broken lines in their depressed orunlatched position;

FIG. 2 is a vertical sectional view taken at right angles to FIG. lalong the line 2-2 with structures seen in end elevation, andparticularly showing in position for locking, the slide plate with itspadlock eye;

FIG. 3 is an axial section through the latch bolt, taken along the line3-3 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a top plan view of the assembly, the spindle appearing insection;

ICC

FIG. 5 is a longitudinal sectional view along the line 5-5 of FIG. 1,the elements within the channel of the operating assembly appearing intop plan, and the position of the operating lever when outswung anddropped parallel to the door and spindle, appearing in broken lines;

FIG. 6 is an external elevational view of a sliding door or closurepanel fitted with the foregoing operating assembly and with track androller means for functionally mounting both adjacent a wall apertureaccording to the present invention, with portions of the door-facing andthe central suspension head broken away;

FIG. 7 is a transverse, vertical sectional view through the mounted doorand door frame as viewed along the line 7--7 of FIG. 6 and particularlyshowing the attachment of the roller tracks, wheel truck and pivotalsuspension head;

FIG. 8 is a horizontal section taken along the line 8 8 of FIGURE 7,particularly showing in top plan the upper horizontal roller, and withthe suspension head and door in outswung position relative to the wheeltruck, with a portion of the latter sectioned at a lower level to showits vertical roller;

FIG. 9 is a similar view to the preceding, partly in top plan and partlyin horizontal section, with the suspension head inswung so as to locatethe sliding door in closed position;

FIGURES 10, 11, 12 are views similar to the respective three precedingviews but showing a modification wherein the roller track is inset alongthe top of the doorfrarne and thus disposed flush with the outer wall,and the r0- tary suspension head is accordingly attached to the door ata different location than the prior form, whereby the closed door isagain disposed flush with the adjacent wall;

FIGURES 13 through 17 are corresponding views to FIGURES 1 through 5,showing the form of operating assembly used with a hinged door;

FIG. 18 is an external elevational view of an apertured wall with alaterally hinged door mounted in the opening thereof by use of thepresent operating assembly in association with terminal cam-lockscarried by the spindle, the lower left corner of the door-facing beingbroken away;

FIG. 19 is a fragmental sectional view of the upper left lcorner of themounted door of FIG. 18 with the doorfacing partly broken away, andparticularly showing the location of a spindle-carried cam in lockingposition;

FIG. 20 is a fragmental section at right angles to the preceding view asseen along the line 20-20 of FIG- URE 19 and showing in elevation theupper cam end of the operating spindle; and

FIG. 21 is a top plan View along the line 21-21 of FIGURE 19 of thelocking cam and engaging plate (partly broken away) of the door lintel,with the adjacent door post in horizontal section.

When the present construction is used with sliding doors such as areemployed on cargo carriers, the sliding door mechanism shown in my U.S.Patent 2,532,491 is well suited. When incorporated with that particulartrack and roller suspension, the present operating assembly is added tothe control stern 4 along the outer face of the door so as to makepossible the manual, lever rotation of the central, upright stem oroperating spindle between alternate positions a quarter turn apart, thusproviding both an operating lever-handle and external locking means.With such assembly, a person accidentally locked inside by an externalpadlock, can readily open the door from within. This is in markedcontrast to some escape doors which require the trapped occupant todetach the lock-mounting bolts from inside so that the external lockdrops oft the door before it can be opened. By my construction (detailedbelow) the locking means are at no time rendered inoperative, but assoon as the occupant walks out, the

3 door can be immediately returned to its locked position with thepadlock still undisturbed.

Still another form of track and roller suspension for such sliding doorsis here detailed in association with my lock activating assembly. Thedoor C is connected along its upper margin to (at least two) rotatablestems 2 inserted vertically into the body of the door from its upper,horizontal edge 25, with their upper ends fixed to respective U-shapedheads 8. The U-heads have their parallel arms 8a, 8c directed `generallyhorizontally, with the vertical connection 8b disposed outward from thedoor opening B or its surrounding frame A. The lower arms 8a of theU-heads are fixed to the stems 2, and the upper arm 8c carries a lateralextension 8d which is rotatable about a terminally journalled, uprightpin 11, which forms part of the roller means and is spaced verticallyabove and laterally olset from the stem 2. As explained hereafter, thestem 2 by such mounting is disposed to move in a 90 (horizontal) arcabout the pin.

A tubular structure 1, the hollow interior of which forms a (generallystraight) track, is mounted (as by fastening elements 5) along the outerface of a wall W immediately above a doorway B, and longitudinallyextending therefrom a minimum distance approximating the width of thedoorway. The tube structure 1 is approximately rectangular in section,with the outer, vertical surface formed by upper 6 and lower 7 faceflanges, spaced vertically apart (and transversely staggered) to dene alongitudinal slot 18 along the length of the tube and through whichopening the extension arms 8d are inserted. The upper flange may beout-turned to form a projecting guard lip 3. Within the tube 1, thetransverse span or space across the upper portion (that is, adjacent theupper ange 6) is greater than the parallel distance across the floor 21of the track (FIGS. '7 and l0). Accordingly there are formed two tracks,upper T1 and lower T2, .of different widths, each of which receives aroller of a wheel truck 10 (the axes of the two connected rollers beingrespectively vertical in T1 and horizontal in T2).

Each extension arm 8d is attached to a roller assembly or wheel truck 10which is movable lengthwise within the tube 1, each suspension head 8and connected wheel truck 10 together forming a suspension-roller unit.At least two such units dependently carry a door C, being spaced apart(horizontally) along its upper edge l25 and mutually connected by a:generally rectangular, inverted U-shaped, channel member 12 which isslidingly disposed lengthwise in the tube 1. The channel 12 is spacedvertically from both the top and bottom of the track, as well as spacedforward from the rear face 9, and generally has its lower margindisposed in loose, sliding registration with the inner face of the lowervertical ange 7. Each wheel truck 10 includes a vertical roller 19mounted within the slide channel 12 on a transverse axle 20, the rollerextending below the lower edge of the slide channel in rollingregistration with the track floor 21. Fixedly mounted Within the channel12 and projecting upward through an aperture in the crosswall 22 is acylindrical pin 11 which is pivotally embraced by the inner end ofsuspension arm 8d (immediately above the crosswall 22) and above whichis rotatably disposed a flat-sided, horizontal roller 23 retained inrolling registration with and between the rear wall 9 and the inner faceof the upper ange 6.

It will be observed that the vertical midplane bisecting the slidingchannel 12, also bisects both rollers 19, 23, the axes of the pair ofrollers being perpendicular to each other and both being transverse tothe longitudinal axis of the slidable channel 12 and its embracingtrack 1. Also, the pivotal attachment of the arm 8d to the pin 11 is atone end of the wheel truck 10, while the door stem 2 attachment (whenthe door is seated) is adjacent the other end, and the operating lever42 below extends in the same direction, still further away from thepivot pin 4 11; this successive positioning provides eifective leveragein seating and unseating the door by rotating the stems 2 a quarterturn. In other words, for use with a slide track which extends to theleft of a door opening (FIG. 6), the pin 11 would be at the left end ofeach truck 10, the attachment of each stem 2 or operating spindle 4 tothe right thereof, and the operating lever 42 projecting farther to theright. Alternately, for use with a slide track extending to the right ofa door opening, the foregoing sequence would be reversed.

A housing frame F for the present operating assembly is secured in agenerally horizontal position along the outer face of the sliding panelor door C, conveniently being sunk therein so as to be substantiallyflush with the external surface. Upper and lower, marginal facing strips28, 29 are disposed to closely overlie the outer skin 30 of the doorbody, being joined to an upright rear wall 32 of the frame, by generallymutually parallel and horizontally disposed walls 34, 36, verticallyseparated to form an outwardly open channel 35.

The operating spindle or central control stem 4 medially overlies or maybe embedded within the body of the door C, and its intermediate sectionrotatably traverses the horizontal channel walls 34, 36, adjacent an endof the frame F. The portion lof its length which is within the channel35 carries a stop lug 38 placed to contact an abutment 39 which projectsfrom the rear wall 32, so as thus to limit rotation of the spindle 4approximately to (FIG. 5).

Within the upper portion of the open-face channel 35, a short,flat-sided projection 40 fixedly extends radially outward from thespindle 4, generally axially (ie. vertically) aligned therewith and(when within the channel 35) disposable in juxtaposition with the rearwall 32 of the frame F. An elongated, operating lever 42 is formed by ajuxtaposed pair of metal straps a and b welded together along anintermediate distance and terminally bent apart to form a bifurcate end43; the latter loosely embraces the opposing flat sides of the radialprojection 40, being connected thereto by a transverse pivot 44. Theouter or unattached end of the lever has one strap a outwardly oifset toform a handle 45 which thus overlies the facing skin 30 yof the door Cbeyond the channel 35. The rear strap b is curved forward to formsuccessive end walls 47, 49 so as (in conjunction with the curvature 46)to form an upward-opening bolt socket 48. A short spacer insert 5t)ensures that the forward wall 49 (when the lever 42 is latched orseated) will be aligned with the facing flanges 28, 29 of the frame F.At the other end of the lever 42, a vertical pair of rivet pins c and dlimit the pivotal movement of the lever (when outswung from the channel35) to approximately 90 by 4their alternate abutment with side andbottom edges of the projection 40.

Disposed generally parallel to the seated lever 42 within the channel 35and immediately bene-ath and in longitudinal abutment with its loweredge, is an elongated retainer bar 52 of inverted trough shape andmedially pivoted from beneath, atop a compression spring 55. The latterthus normally urges the bar 52 to hold the upper edge of the lever 42against the underface of the channel wall 34. The fixed end 55 of thecoil 55 is secured to the lower channel wall 36, against which theperipheral, vertical -wall 54 of the bar 52 may be forced by compressionof the spring 55 caused by pivotal depression of the lever 42 againstthe slide face 53. One end of the latter is apertured at 60 -to receivethe spindle 4 loosely therethrough, while its rear wall 51 has a slidetongue 57 (FIG. 3) formed by a vertical cut adjacent its opposite end,with the tongue inserted in a laterally op-en slot or slideway 5S formedby a vertical boss pressed forward 59 from the `channel wall. Themovable bar 52 is thus restrained against both longitudinal andtransverse displacement from the channel 35.

The retainer bar 52 has its upper, slide face 53 cut out or recessedtransversely outward from and generally radial to the spindle to form ananchoring groove 62 for the lower edge of the projection 40 when thelatter is rotated 90 outward, that is, perpendicularly to the channel35. The retainer bar 52 can thus act as a lever whose fulcrum isprovided by the central spring 55, so that the bar can be pivoted ortilted lengthwise toward either end thereof; in addition, it can befulcrumed from the spindle end 69 (compressing the spring 55) bydepression of the overlying lever 42 within the channel 35 as indicatedby broken lines, FIG. 1. In the latter operation, a slide plate 64dependent from the lower edge of the right end or" the vertical wall 54is thereby moved lengthwise downward through a corresponding opening ofthe bottom channel wall 36 (FIGS. 2 3). The slide plate 64 is formedwith a padlock eye 66 which is normally disposed above the channel oor36 (and thus externally accessible) so that by insertion of the shackleof a `padlock 68 or similar keeper through the eye 66, depression ofthis end of the retainer bar 52 is blocked, and the overlying operatinglever 42 is held within the channel (by engagement with the bolt 72)with the upper edge of the lever in longitudinal registration with theunderface of the upper channel wall 34. Alternately, when the spindle 4and lever 42 are rotated a quarter turn, bringing the lever out of thechannel 35 and completely oil of the slide face 53 of the retainer bar52, the latter (by the spring 55) at its spindle end moves up behind theoutswung lever 4Z to lodge the lower edge of projection in in the groove62. Thus, in effect, the operating lever 42 can be selectively locked intwo extreme positions 90 apart. Upon raising the downhung lever ft2.,its (bifurcate) butt end 41 depresses the slide face S3, freeing theprojection 46 and permitting the lever i2 to be swung back into thechannel 35.

Upstanding from the top face of the upper channel wall 34 (i.e. withinthe body 4of the door C) is an open-ended, tubular housing 70, whichslidingly retains a lock bolt 72 which may have its lower, engaging endbeveled 73 to form a latch. The latch end 73 projects through anaperture 74 in the channel Wall 34 (FIG. 3) in line with the verticalsocket 48 formed in the operating lever 42, being urged downward by atension spring 76 disposed about the bolt stem 71 within the housing7i?. The stem 71 is diametrically slit downward partway from the top,across which slot 7S is disposed an anchor pin i8 which cornpletelytraverses the housing tube 7d and internally' bears against the upperend of the coil spring 76. Accordingly, while the bolt 72 remains in itsdown-projected or locking position, the lever 42 can be disengagedtherefrom (in the absence of the padlock 68), by depression of the lever(pivoted at 44) acting within the channel 35 and against thespring-tensioned retainer bar S2, until the socket 48 is clear of theprojected bolt 72. The lever 42 can then be swung out of the channel 35,free ofthe slide tace 53, and dropped to hang parallel alongside thespin- `dle 4 (anchored by the groove 62). This same outward quarter-turnof the spindle 4 likewise rotates each eX- tension arm Sd from itsinserted position along the slot 18 of the overhead track, thusunseating the door C from the opening B. With the lever 42 locked (bythe groove 62) in its downswung position, the door can then be rolledlengthwise along the track without danger that pressure against the faceof the door would start the heads 8 to turn back toward door seatedposition (which when the door was unaligned with its doorway B, wouldcaus-e it to jam against the wall area below the track). A single head16 (similar to S) and a lone roller 17 may align the door with a lowertrack 13.

Laterally displaced from the bolt housing 79 opposite the centralcontrol spindle 4, is an upstanding post S with a top, transversesurface S2 ywhich serves as a fulcrum for the end of a release lever 84(within the body of the door C). The other end 86 of the lever isconnected to an ascending, liexible cable S8 which after passing throughan eyelet 90 ot a cross brace 92 of the door,

terminally hangs down along the inner face of the door to provide apullcord 39 by means of which a person may raise the bolt 72 and henceunlatch the door from inside, even while the external padlock 68 remainsin place. Hinged connection of the bolt '72 and release lever 84 is bythe pivot pin d5. When the Weight of the lever d4 provides enoughdownthrust, the spring 76 may be omitted.

Since all of the longitudinally aligned wheel trucks 10 (ie. above anindividual sliding door C) are connected together by the slide channel12 within the track 1, when a pair of such suspension-roller units(attached to stems 2) have the operating spindle 4 disposed between them(as in FIGURE 6), the top of t-he spindle need not also be attached to a(third) roller assembly, but the end of its suspension arm 8a. which isinserted through the slot 18 may simply be pivoted to the cross wall 22atop the slide channel 12. Thus the weight of the door C is carried onthe pair of suspension-roller units which are attached to the shortstems 2, but arcuate movement of the extension arm 8a' of the operatingspindle 4'simultaneously arcs the corresponding arms 8d of each suchchannel- 12-connected roller assembly.

Disposed about the spindle 4, conveniently located just above the frameF of the operating assembly and within the body of the door D (Le.behind the outer skin 30) is a coiled torsion spring 31 (FIGS. 1, 6, 7and 13) having its opposite ends secured respectively to the door D andto the spindle 4. It is tensioned normally to hold the door open, thatis, with the spindle 4 rotated outward a quarter turn to the positionindicated in phantom in FIGS. 5 and 17 wherein the projection 4t)extends perpendicularly from the plane of the door and disposes thehandle 45 out of the channel 35 (either parallel to the channel ordropped parallel to the spindle as the case may be). With the slidingdoor construction of FIGS. l-12, such quarter turn o the spindle 4, bythe connected suspension heads 8, 16, unseats the door C from itsdoorway B so that it can be rolled along the adjacent track 1. Tensionof the spring 31 thus keeps the suspension arm 8d outward projecting inthe position ot FIGS. 8 and 11 so that the door C is hung alongside theface of the wall W ready for juxtaposed movement without rubbing orbinding. Since it requiresa positive (torsional) force applied to theleverage of the handle 45 in order to seat the door C in the doorway B,if a transverse force is applied ot the moving door C before it isaligned with its doorway B (as by a person leaning against it) it willnot bind it against further rolling movement as might be the case in theabsence of the spring 31. The spindle end of the spring may be held by atensionadjusting collar 33 radially apertured for selective insertion ofa diametric anchor pin 37 into the spindle (FIG. 16).

It will be apparent from a comparison of FIGURES 7-8-9 with FIGURES10-11-12 that the structural difference between the first form (whereinthe track 1 is added to the outer face of the wall W), and the secondform (wherein the track is set in an edge recess 26) is that in thelatter case the lower Uearm 8a is of shorter length (approximately equalto that of the upper arm Sc) so that when the door is closed, the stem 2is disposed in the same vertical plane as the pivot pin 11. In bothcases, the (closed) door C is disposed flush with the wall W; but in thesecond case the outer face of the track 1 is also flush with both. Thusthere is no projecting structure (as in the rst case) which might besheared off by a foreign object sweeping along the external face of thewall W.

The door panel P of FIGS. 18-21 preferably is attached along onevertical edge by conventional hinges 94, 96 along an upright margin ofan adjacent door frame or wall W, so as conveniently to be disposedsubstantially tlush with the outer surface of the wall when swung snuglyinto the entranceway or opening E. The door may have its edge wallstepped or inset inwardly 97 at least once along its several rectangularborders so as thereby to engage a similarly configured opening E; in anyevent, preferably an outer, peripheral, door shoulder 98 seats against acorresponding wall ledge 99 with an inter-posed gasket seal G. Along theinner margin of the upright unhinged door edge 100 which is opposite thehinge edge 95, is mounted the control stem or spindle S, extendingsubstantially the height of the door, and, as before, being rotatable aquarter turn by movement of the operating lever 42 between its outswungposition and its housed or latched position along the transverse channel35 which extends crosswise to the spindle axis along the external faceof the door.

Each end of the spindle S carries a transversely projecting, engaging orlocking cam 102 intended to secure the door tightly, when the spindle Shas been turned 90 after closing the door. In such locked position, theinswung lever 42 is held in engagement with the bolt 73 by longitudinalabutment along its opposite or lower edge by the slide face 53 of thespring-tensioned retainer bar 52. In mounting such a door P in anopening E, locking engagement by such cam action can be readilyaccommodated simply by installing a pair of flat, right-angle or cornerbutt plates 104 against the corresponding ends of the sill 106 andlintel 107 respectively, in position that their projection tongues 105are contacted in lateral registration by each adjacent cam 102.Accordingly, doors equipped With my cam spindle and operating assemblycan be easily installed in pre-existing wall frames or doorways by therapid addition of such butt plates. Alternately, doors already equippedwith suc-h spindle-activated locking cams, may have their old operatingassembly replaced by the present ones so as to convert them to aninternal-release type or escape closure.

With such construction, the door can be closed tightly only when theoperating lever 42 is initially in outswung position (the cams 102 thusbeing rotated a quarter turn from the position shown in FIGS. 19-21).However, after the lever 42 is swung shut, the locked door can still beopened from inside by a person who raises t-he bolt 72 by pulling thecord 88. His weight then pressed outward against the unlatched door,simultaneously causes the lever 42 to swing out and the spindle S andlocking cams 102 to turne 90 to release position. The padlock 68remaining in place through the eyelet of the slide plate 64, the personwho has come out through the locked door can then by manual manipulation(i.e. swinging the lever 42 back into the channel 35) restore the closeddoor to its previous externally-locked condition. This is withoutpivotal (vertical) movement of the lever 42 to engage the bolt 72 (sincethe lever is prevented from pivoting within the channel by the lockedslide face of the retainer bar 52), but pressure of the inswinging leveragainst the beveled latch-end 73 (FIG. l5) causes the latter to retractvertically and then drop back into the socket 48. Upon unlatching,resilience of the compressed gasket G encircling the doorway may itselfstart the door to open, in the absence of the spring 31. However, it isgenerally preferred to include the torsion spring 31 with such hingeddoors also, although its function is less important than with thesliding door C.

An important difference between the same operating assembly when usedwith the -two different types of doors is that with the sliding door C,lever action by the member 42 is necessary i-n order to locate the doorwithin the opening B; hence the anchor notch 62 is provided to hold thedownswung lever 42 lest transverse pressure on the sliding door in thedirection of the adjacent wall or frame A will start the heads 8 (and16) to rotate or are inward when they `are not aligned-or the door C isnot aligned-with the opening B. In other words, engagement of theprojection 40 with the notch 62 holds the door C open for free slidingmovement (in either direction along the track by means of the respectiverollers); this hold is then released-by means of the lever end 41depressing the spindle end of the slide face 53 adjacent the notch62-with initiation of the movement which iinally compels the transverseshift of the door C into its seating position in the opening B, that is,by the quarter rotation of the spindle 4 by the then horizontallydisposed lever 42. With the hinged door P, however, quarter turn of thespindle S by the lever 42 serves only to lock the door in the frame (byaction of the cams 102 which are oppositely directed from the horizontallever 42) after the door has already been closed or seated. But in bothcases the padlock 68 prevents external manipulation of the mechanism;and a person trapped inside can easily open the door without disturbingthe padlock, and then return it to its closed and locked condition.

It will be obvious to those skilled in the art that various changes ofconstruction and operation may be made within the inventive conceptwithout departing from the spirit land scope thereof, and therefore thisdisclosure is not to be limited to the precise details shown in thedrawings and particularly described by way of example, but the claimsshould be accorded the full scope of frecogn'ized equivalents in theirdistinctions from the prior art.

I claim:

1. In combination with a door-operating spindle plustransverse-embracing bearing attachment means adapted to retain thespindle lengthwise on a door for limited rotational movemen-t while thussecured and including generally radially extending, frame-contact meansalternately disposable between door-seating and door-release positionsby rotation of the spindle: a pair of walls laterally spaced apartjointly to form a longitudinal, open-face channel extending transverselyfrom said spindle; an operating lever of less width than said channeland having one end connected to the spindle for joint rotation therewithbetween a latched position lying adjacent one of said channel walls andan outswung position transverse to the channel, said end of the leveralso being pivotally connected to the spindle for limited movementgenerally axial to the spindle when in both positions of rotation, andthe opposite end of the lever providing a handle for manipulation of thespindle; a llongitudinally tensioned bolt mounted transversely to saidone wall in position normally to engage said lever in latched positionwhen the lever is disposed along the channel adjacent said wall, sa-idlever being disengageable therefrom by its pivotal movement transverseto the channel without substantial rotation of the spindle and thenbeing rotatable jointly with the spindle to said outswung position; andmeans for selectively locking said lever in latched position by blockingits pivotal movement between the channel walls.

2. The combination of the preceding claim 1 wherein said last means forlocking the lever comprise a leverretaining element disposed along thechannel for reciprocal movement transverse thereto and tensionedopposingly to said bolt in sliding contact with said lever in positionnormally to yieldingly retain the lever (when in latched position) inengagement with the bolt; and means for holding said retaining elementin position to block pivotal movement of the latched lever withoutblocking its rotational movement to outswung position upon retraction ofsaid bolt.

3. The combination of the preceding claim 1 which additionally includestorsion means carried by said spindle and biased normally to urge saidlever to outswung position when disengaged from said bolt.

4. A lock-operating assembly, operable from opposite faces of a closurepanel on which it may be mounted, the assembly comprising a pair ofwalls spaced apart to form an open-face channel disposable along anexternal face of such panel; a rotatable spindle transversely disposedacross said channel with at least one of its ends adapted for operativeconnection to a panel-retaining element locatabie along a door frameadjacent an edge of such closure panel; an operating lever disposedselectively to seat lengthwise along the channel and having one endconnected to said spindle for joint rotation therewith between a latchedposition lying along the channel adjacent one wall thereof and anoutswung position transverse thereto, said end of the lever also beingpivotally connected to the spindle for limited movement generally axialto the spindle when in both positions of rotation, and the opposite endof the lever providing a handle for manipulation of the spindle; aspring-urged `bolt mounted transversely to one housing wall andtensioned normally to engage said lever in latched position when thelever is disposed along the channel adjacen-t said Wall, said lever.being disengageable therefrom by its pivotal movement crosswise to thechannel without rotation of the spindle and then being rotatable jointlywith the spindle to said outswung position; a spring-urged retainingelement having a longitudinal slide face disposed along the channel inabutment with the side of the lever which is opposite to said bolt andtensioned to yieldingly retain the lever (when in latched position) inengagement with the holt; means for selectively locking said lever inlatched position by holding the slide face of the retaining element inabutment therewith; and release means for withdrawing the bolt fromengagement with the lever while the latter is held in latched position,whereby said bolt can be retracted from a face of such closure panelopposite to said open channel and the lever can be outswung from latchedposition without pivotal movement for disengaging said bolt.

5. The assembly of the preceding claim 4 wherein said retaining elementis an elongated member having one end slidingly traversed within saidchannel by the spindle along which it is thus axially depressible, andits other end is xed to a slide plate formed with a padlock eye, whichplate is longitudinally projectable through corresponding slot of theadjacent channel wall upon pivotal movement of said lever (between thechannel walls) against the retaining element, the pivotal connection ofthe lever to the spindle being radially spaced therefrom whereby theoperating lever when outswung from the channel by rotation of thespindle is then adapted by pivotal movement to overlie the spindle endof the retaining element and be disposed substantially parallel to saidspindle.

6. The assembly of the preceding claim 4 wherein both ends of saidspindle, upon rotation of the spindle by movement of the operating leverfrom outswung to latched position, have means adapted to lockingly engage an adjacent door frame which functionally embraces a closure panelbearing said lock-operating assembly.

7. The assembly of the preceding claim 4 wherein said -spindle isadapted to extend substantially across the width of a door panel and isprovided with a locking cam adjacent each end thereof, which cams aredisposable to engage complementary fastening elements along an adjacentdoor frame upon a quarter turn of said spindle effected by movement ofthe operating lever between outswung and latched positions.

8. The assembly of the preceding claim 4 which additionally includestorsion means disposable between said spindle and panel, and biasednormally to urge said leve-r to outswung position when disengaged fromsaid bolt.

9. In combination with an apertured wall having a closure panel andmutually connecting track and roller means adapted for movement of saidpanel between a position closing said aperture and an open positionwhich is generally parallel thereto and is laterally spaced from theaperture generally overlying an adjacent surface of said wall wherebysuccessive transverse and parallel movement of the panel shift itbetween open and closed positions: an operating assembly carried by saidpanel adjacent an external face thereof and formed with an outwardlyopen channel; a rotatable spindle transversely journa-lled through saidchannel with its opposite ends secured to said connecting means inposition to allow transverse movement of said panel by rotary action ofthe spindle; a generally radially directed projection iixedly mounted onsaid spindle and disposable along said open channel; a lock-operatinglever having one end pivotal-ly secured to said projection andreceivable along said open channel upon joint rotation with said spindlefrom an outswung position transverse to the channel to a latchedposition in juxtaposition with the panel, said lever being formed with atransversely directed bolt socket spaced outward from the pivoted end; aspring-urged latch bolt disposed transverse to said channel andpositioned to engage said socket when the lever is received along thechannel, said lever being manually disengageable from the bolt bypivotal movement crosswise to the channel; release means adapted toretract said bolt from behind said panel when the latter is in closedposition; a springurged retainer bar mounted along the channel generallyparallel to said lever and having a longitudinal slide face in abutmenttherewith and adapted selectively to yieldingly hold said lever inengagement with said bolt and to permit disengagement thereof by pivotalmovement of the parallel lever against the bar crosswise to the channel;lock means adapted selectively to block said pivotal movement at the barand thereby prevent mutual disengagement o the bolt and lever except bysaid release means; and mutual engaging means between the projection inoutswung position and the spindle end of said retainer bar for holdingsaid lever outswung and pivotally disposed substantially parallel to thespindle.

1t). The combination of the preceding claim 9 wherein said retainer barhas its slide face transversely apertured adjacent said spindle and thespindle is received loosely through said aperture, and the other end ofsaid bar has a projecting tongue slidingly retained in an internalguideway which is formed transverse to said channel and thus adapted toretain the spring-urged bar within the channel within the approximatelimit of travel effected by pressure of the lever against said slideface, said bar being medially supported upon a compression spring,mounted upstand'ing within the channel, whereby the bar may be tiltedtoward opposite ends thereof by pressure of the leve-r against the slideface (a) when said lever is disposed lengthwise along the channel, and(b) when said lever is outswung therefrom by joint lrotation of thespindle and thus engages only the spindle-end of the retainer bar.

11. In combination with a door-operating spindle havingtransverse-embracing bearing attachment means for retaining the samelengthwise on a door for at least limited rotational movement while thusrotatably secured and including generally radially extending,framecontact means carried by the spindle alternately moveable betweendoor-seating and door-release positions by rotation of the spindle:

walls forming a channel extending transversely from said spindle;operating lever means connected to the spindle along one face of thedoor and positioned to move toward and away from said channel andthereby to rotate said spindle to locate the frame-contact means at thealternate door-seating and door-release positions;

lock means adjacent said one face of the door and carried thereby forselectively locking the lever means on the channel at the door-seatingposition of the frame-contact means by mutual engagement of the levermeans and lock means with latch means located adjacent said channel; and

said latch means positioned on said door and moveable into and out ofsaid channel and normally cooperable with said lock means in retainingthe lever means in locked door-seating position and selectively operablefrom an opposite face of the door for releasing said lever means to openthe door Without effect-ing the prior locked position of the lock means3,228,669 11 12 itself, which prior locked position of mutual en-3,157,908 ll/ 1964 Frueh 16-95 gagement of the lever means, latch meansand lock means may be restored by closing the door Without vmanipulation of the lock means. HARRISON R. MOSELEX Pllmary Exammer.

5 References Cited by the Examiner CHARLES E O CONNELL Exammer' UNITEDSTATES PATENTS A. I. BREIER, Assistant Examiner.

2,717,796 9/1955 Cudney 292-229

11. IN COMBINATION WITH A DOOR-OPERATING SPINDLE HAVINGTRANSVERSE-EMBRACING BEARING ATTACHMENT MEANS FOR RETAINING THE SAMELENGTHWISE ON A DOOR FOR AT LEAST LIMITED ROTATIONAL MOVEMENT WHILE THUSROTATABLY SECURED AND INCLUDING GENERALLY RADIALLY EXTENDING,FRAMECONTACT MEANS CARRIED BY THE SPINDLE ALTERNATELY MOVEABLE BETWEENDOOR-SEATING AND DOOR-RELEASE POSITIONS BY ROTATION OF THE SPINDLE:WALLS FORMING A CHANNEL EXTENDING TRANSVERSELY FROM SAID SPINDLE;OPERATING LEVER MEANS CONNECTED TO THE SPINDLE ALONG ONE FACE OF THEDOOR AND POSITIONED TO MOVE TOWARD AND AWAY FROM SAID CHANNEL ANDTHEREBY TO ROTATE SAID SPINDLE TO LOCATE THE FRAME-CONTACT MEANS AT THEALTERNATE DOOR-SEATING AND DOOR-RELEASE POSITIONS; LOCK MEANS ADJACENTSAID ONE FACE OF THE DOOR AND CARRIED THEREBY FOR SELECTIVELY LOCKINGTHE LEVER MEANS ON THE CHANNEL AT THE DOOR-SEATING POSITION OF THEFRAME-CONTACT MEANS BY MUTUAL ENGAGEMENT